


Stress Leave

by ThatMasterOnline



Category: Far Cry 4
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-11-24
Updated: 2017-11-24
Packaged: 2019-02-06 05:26:29
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,089
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12810588
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ThatMasterOnline/pseuds/ThatMasterOnline
Summary: Ajay is a little off-kilter from the artillery at Utkarsh.





	Stress Leave

“Ajay Ghale, the man of the hour! You did well out there, brother.” Ajay forced a smile out from the fog surrounding him. 

Every sound had been dull and muted since the artillery at Pagan’s fortress, or perhaps even before, with the bombardment at Utkarsh. He couldn’t be sure. With his ears partially deafened, he couldn’t be sure of a lot of things. He’d been operating on willpower for the past couple of days, trying to keep anyone from finding out about his weakness, but his willpower was finally starting to fray. His vision was fading in and out of colour, he felt sick, his whole body ached, and he could barely hear. He felt like passing out, but they’d finally won. People were overjoyed. He couldn’t afford to be weak. He didn’t want people worrying about him.

“Hour? I think I deserve to be man of the year, don’t I?” 

Sabal’s bright laugh bolstered his willpower a little bit. It was the first time he’d heard Sabal laugh since he liberated half the bell towers, but this time, it was real. He wouldn’t dim the laughter with worry. 

“Of course. There’s going to be a holiday with your name on it, brother. What do you think? Ghale Day?”

“How about we just make it Liberation Day, and people remember me without any silly rhyming holiday names?” Sabal laughed again, and Ajay took a steadying breath. Sabal waved him over.

“We can’t start planning the party quite yet, though.” Back to business. “There are still pockets of resistance that need to be purged. I am sorry, Ajay. There will be more incidences like Jalendu.” Ajay closed his eyes and bowed his head, but snapped his eyes open again. Closing his eyes was dangerous right now.

“Can Bhadra not be there this time?” Closing his eyes was VERY dangerous; he didn’t want to open them again. Sabal sighed.

“Don’t worry, the Tarun Matara...Bhadra...won’t be there. The first time was ceremonial, it won’t happen again. I’m not a monster.” Ajay nodded, swallowing, and Sabal frowned.

“Ajay...are you alright?” Ajay snapped back to reality, looking up at Sabal. He was staring at him intently, looking him over, trying to find any visible injuries. Ajay thanked the gods, or perhaps Kyra, that there were none. He could downplay this a bit.

“Yeah, I just...I think the artillery at Utkarsh messed me up a bit. My hearing is really muted. I should be okay, though, don’t worry about it.” Sabal frowned, putting a hand on his shoulder.

“If you’re sure...Let me know if it’s not getting better, I’ll call you a doctor.” Ajay nodded.

“Thanks.” Sabal sighed, then went back to his maps.

“There are pockets of resistance here, here, and here.” He pointed at three different spots on the map, “I’ll be sending in soldiers to overtake those areas.”

“And anyone who surrenders immediately won’t be killed?” Ajay heard a short, muted chuckle.

“Half-deaf and still talking sense. That’s why I need you as my second in command. No, anyone who surrenders will not be killed.” Ajay nodded.

“I can be a part of that if you like.” 

“Ajay, I know you want to show me that you’re alright. I trust that you know your limits, but we can’t push fate. Stay here, take a little downtime. My men will handle this. Besides, my honour is on the line, here. What will people think if I need to use you to overtake a few upstarts? I have to show people the Golden Path is useful, too. Have to prove to people that we didn’t win this war ENTIRELY because you were here.” Ajay smiled, patting Sabal’s back.

“Alright, but you know where I am when the Golden Path fails miserably.” Sabal scoffed and gave Ajay a light shove.

“Go get some rest. I’m sure you have better things to do than mock me and my people.” 

“If you say so,” Ajay retorted, but he was glad for the chance to get back to the Ghale homestead and rest.

***

As it turned out, Ajay never really got a chance to rest. First there were skirmishes, then wild animal attacks were rampant, and Ajay was caught protecting people from wild dogs, and then there were people begging for help avenging their fallen families, and Ajay couldn’t deny them, not after everything. By the time he was done it had gotten dark, and Ajay scrambled up a bell tower to keep from getting attacked himself. He spent an uncomfortable night in the bell tower, and nearly fell from the tower trying to get down the next morning. He was almost back home when he was attacked by wolves - a battle he almost didn’t survive. By the time he stumbled into the homestead, he could barely hear and his vision was entirely grey. The mere concept of home shattered his remaining willpower and he sank to the ground, lying on his side. He was home now. He could sleep. In his last moment of lucidity, he realized sleep meant unconsciousness, and he couldn’t pass out alone, not where nobody knew where he was. He pulled out his radio, summoning the last of his strength.

“S-Sabal…”

“Ajay? Are you alright?”

“That...that thing, from...a couple days ago…? It’s...not getting better…need a doctor…”

“Alright, I’ll get one right away. Are you still at the Ghale homestead?”

“Just got here…”

“Just? Where have you been?”

“Out...people asking for help…” He heard Sabal click his tongue over the radio.

“Ajay, I told you not to tempt fate! Alright, I’ll be there soon, hold on, alright?” Ajay hummed a response. He could stay awake a few more minutes until Sabal arrived. Sabal would be here soon, and then he could pass out. He just had to stay awake. He blinked a few times, staring at the carpet underneath him. It was much more comfortable than he gave it credit for. It made lying on the floor like this tolerable, almost desirable, and that was a high compliment. Perhaps, when he wasn’t on the verge of passing out, he could consider sleeping on the floor once in awhile. It certainly couldn't hurt. 

He lazily brushed a hand over his carpet. It did need a good cleaning, though. He needed to take it outside and beat it down a couple times. Then it would be good to sleep on. Right now, it wasn’t exactly ideal. Still, even dirty as it was, it made the wait for Sabal a little more comfortable. Speaking of Sabal, he really was taking a long time. Ajay decided he wasn’t feeling near as awful as he was when he stumbled in here. Perhaps he’d overreacted. His vision was still grey and his hearing was muted, but right now the only thing he was feeling was numb, pleasantly so. There was no pain anymore, no sickness...that was a good thing, right? Maybe he wasn’t as close to passing out as he thought. He could afford to rest his eyes while he waited for Sabal. He’d wake up the second Sabal walked in, anyways. He’d just close his eyes for a few minutes, just so the need to sleep wouldn’t be quite so forceful. Ajay finally gave in, closing his eyes. Just a few minutes.

***

“He’s in here.”

“What are his symptoms again?”

“He said his hearing was muted from the artillery.”

“Probably just some hearing loss. The change in hearing would cause the balance issues you described.” Sabal nodded, pushing open the door to the Ghale homestead. He’d hoped to find Ajay sitting in a chair drinking tea as he waited. What they found instead was Ajay collapsed on the carpet in the centre of the room.

“Ajay!” Both men rushed over to Ajay, Sabal running his fingers through Ajay’s hair trying to wake him while the doctor began searching for any sign of injury.

“Well, he doesn’t have any injuries,” the doctor said at length, “Help me get him onto the couch.” When they had moved him so he was resting on the couch, the doctor sat back.

“Considering what you said, I think it’s very possible his hearing has been affected by the artillery. As for the rest of it...prolonged stress can manifest itself in many different ways.” Sabal blinked.

“Stress?” He snapped, “You don’t pass out because of stress!”

“You do, as a matter of fact. You’re thinking short term, like a big speech. What we’re looking at has been festering inside Ajay’s body a long time with no way out, like...an American who left his peaceful lifestyle, was dropped into the middle of a war and forced to witness and commit all kinds of atrocities, that are normal to us but monstrous to him. How long has it been since Ajay first came to us?”

“Months…”

“Exactly. I’m willing to bet Ajay’s been in a constant state of fight-or-flight for months. The artillery may have been the trigger that finally pushed him over the edge, but he was bound to break at some point in time. Fight-or-flight is meant for short-term life endangerment, too long in a heightened state of stress and the body will...destroy itself from the inside out, for lack of a better explanation.”

“Will...will he recover?”

“Of course he will, just as soon as he’s not under any stress. Which is why I’m putting him on strict bedrest for at least a month, and you are not to discuss anything to do with the state of Kyrat or the war with him, alright?”

“Alright.”

“And we’re going to clean his house.”

“...Alright?” 

“A messy house is a messy mind,” the doctor said, “I won’t have Ajay being stressed by the state of his house, not even a little bit. And let’s close the shutters, too, to make it a little darker in here. Do you a candle or two we could light?” 

“I...I can get some…” Sabal stammered. He could treat injuries just fine, but stress? How did you treat something you couldn’t see? He was out of his element. The doctor sighed.

“Think of your ideal day off. A place where there’s absolutely nothing to worry about.” Sabal frowned.

“It’s...dark, and quiet...There are candles lit so I can see...a Kyra statue so I can meditate…” The doctor nodded approvingly.

“Make the Ghale homestead look like that.” Sabal blinked.

“Is that what Ajay would find comforting?”

“Well, it certainly doesn’t sound like it would stress him out. Perhaps leave out the Kyra statue.” Sabal nodded, finding a few candles boxed upstairs and lighting them in strategic locations to give the most light. He closed the shutters, fixed up the house and cleaned the mess, and then covered Ajay with a nearby blanket. Finally, it was quiet and peaceful where Ajay slept. The doctor sighed.

“I can’t do anything else for him until he wakes up. Avoid any exposure to sound where you can, don’t even talk above a murmur. Ajay’s ears need to heal. As for the rest...keep him calm. Make him tea, make sure he gets lots of rest, murmur sweet nothings in his ear if you have to, but do not let him be troubled by anything. I haven’t seen a case of stress-induced illness this serious...ever. Keep him calm, Sabal, no matter what you have to do.” Sabal nodded, and the doctor left. He sighed, taking a seat next to the couch Ajay was sleeping on. He reached out and patted Ajay’s hand, then sighed and settled back in his chair, closing his eyes to pray and waiting for Ajay to wake up.

He didn’t have to wait long. About ten minutes later Ajay stirred, groaning. His hearing was still muted, but his vision had some flecks of colour in it. Perhaps sleeping did him some good after all. He looked over to see Sabal sitting on a nearby chair, smiling softly at him.

“Sabal…”

“Hello, Ajay,” he murmured, “How are you feeling?” He almost added ‘be honest this time’, but thankfully decided against it at the last second. That wouldn’t help Ajay’s stress levels. Ajay closed his eyes.

“Tired, confused...how did you get here? Or rather...how did I get here? I was just...I thought I would hear you come in.”

“You passed out, I think. The doctor gave you a look-over, then moved you to the couch here so you’d be comfortable. I’ve been waiting here ever since. Finding you on the floor like that...you gave me quite a scare, Ajay.” He saw Ajay swallow and nod, breaking eye contact, and he winced. That wasn’t helping Ajay’s stress levels, either. He leaned forward and took Ajay’s hand.

“You’re awake now though, and that’s what matters. You’re going to get lots of rest and get well again.” Ajay nodded.

“So what did the doc say?”

“The doctor said your body is shutting down from stress.” Ajay frowned.

“But...my ears, the artillery…”

“The artillery was likely the trigger that set it off, but the stress has been building for quite some time. That said, I’ve been told to speak quietly and keep the noise to a minimum so your ears can heal. I intend to do that.” Ajay nodded.

“So...I’m stuck here, judging by the cleanliness?”

“For a month. At least. We’ll see how you heal. But, Ajay, you need to rest. Do you need to sleep? How are you feeling?” Ajay shrugged.

“I dunno. Is there...maybe a book I can read?” Sabal nodded.

“I found a few lying around. And I’ve already told the Golden Path that I’ll be away for the next month.”

“Away? For a month? Don’t they need you to watch over the…” Ajay stopped, looking away. He swallowed again. Sabal made a note of the action, as an indicator as to Ajay’s stress level. Ajay swallowed again. Higher stress.

“Over the…?”

“It’s nothing,” Ajay said quickly, but Sabal sighed.

“The executions?” Ajay swallowed again, and Sabal sighed.

“I’m sorry, Ajay. It won’t happen again.” Ajay shook his head.

“You already said there were going to be more incidents like Jalendu…” He put the book down unopened and closed his eyes.

“Ajay...You understand stress is what’s doing this to you, don’t you?”

“How can I not stress? You’re killing people…”

“Ajay, please. You need to recover. Just...try to rest, try not to worry.”

“Not worry? Not worry about the way you’re going around killing Amita’s people just because, the pockets of resistance that’ll have to be purged, and the lives lost - can you imagine dying after the war is over? Liberating your country from a dictator and not living long enough to see it flourish? And even if it was only once, Bhadra witnessed murders. What will that do to her? What will happen to her now? Will she be educated, or will she sit on her little chair in her finery and be gawked at for the rest of her life? And I TRUSTED YOU, Sabal. I trusted that your religiousness was pure, that you believed, in a good way, and that was that. But then you went and murdered Amita's people for not being religious! For having different values than you! I thought you were better than that, Sabal! I thought Kyra had enlightened you and you were above this holy war, religious persecution bullshit! And by the way, Mohan Ghale was a murderer. My mom and Pagan fell in love and had a baby, and your precious Mohan decided to murder an infant. My baby half-sister Lakshmana was a year old when Mohan killed her. A YEAR OLD. No fucking wonder Pagan went right off the deep end, I’d have blown the whole fucking country up too! So now I have to cope with the fact that I had a sister I will never know, that my father MURDERED, and that my mom’s dying wish was to be brought back to her baby girl. Just when I think this country can’t get any more fucked up, Pagan hits me with THAT. I had a sister, Sabal. A sister. That I never knew about. I resented my mother for keeping my heritage a secret, I was awful to her because of it, and now that I know I feel like the world’s biggest jerk, and I can’t apologize because she’s DEAD. I can’t...I can’t...just...NOT WORRY. I can’t. I have...too much...too much…” Sabal, who had decided it would be best to let Ajay vent, sighed.

“...Ajay...I’m sorry. I’m sorry. For everything. You’ve been shouldering so much, so many responsibilities...let them go, Ajay. Let me worry about the lives that will be lost. Free your conscience. I will shoulder all the punishment the gods should rain down upon us. Do not be troubled by your inaction. There must only be one leader, one voice, in Kyrat, and you have already established that voice to be mine. Going against my orders means dissent and more lives lost. As for your sister...She, and your mother, are both at rest now. Do not let them trouble you further. Schools will be built, Bhadra will be educated, she will heal from the events at Jalendu. If the people wish to gawk, they may gawk at a statue, but Bhadra is a living goddess, one who will walk among the people even as she lives like a queen. Do not fret for Bhadra’s wellbeing anymore; she is Tarun Matara, a living goddess. It would be a sin of the highest order to offer her anything less than everything this world has to offer, whether it be education, friends, purpose…” He sighed.

“Let your mind rest easy, Ajay. I will make sure that all will turn out right in Kyrat.” Ajay nodded, eyes closing, and he felt a hand run through his hair.

“Sleep, Ajay. Now that your mind is is at rest, your body must follow in order for you to heal. I will watch over you, and I will pray for your sleep to be free of visions of Yalung. Sleep, Ajay, Sleep.” Ajay nodded almost imperceptibly, then he stilled. His breathing, which had been high and ragged as he’d worked himself into a panic, slowly evened out. A few minutes later Ajay was truly asleep, and Sabal, true to his word, sent a prayer to Kyra to keep Ajay’s sleep free of dreams.


End file.
